Transparent Polyurethane Nanofiber Air Filter for High-Efficiency PM2.5 Capture.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Environmental Engineering
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Fine particulate matter (PM) poses significant risks to human health, climate, and ecosystems.
• Electrospinning nanofibers shows promise for effective PM removal, but industrial-scale production remains a challenge.
• Uniform electrospinning of polymer fibers onto window screens is difficult to achieve outside laboratory settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an industrial-scale electrospinning method for producing nanofiber air filters.
• To evaluate the performance of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) nanofiber filters for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) removal.
• To assess the filter's optical transparency, ventilation, and durability for residential applications.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a rotating bead spinneret for large-scale electrospinning of TPU onto conductive mesh.
• Investigated the effect of TPU concentration on filter performance.
• Measured PM2.5 removal efficiency, optical transparency, contact angle, and ventilation rate.
• Assessed filter performance after repeated filtration cycles.

Main Results:

• Achieved high productivity of 1000 m²/day for TPU nanofiber filter production.
• Attained PM2.5 removal efficiency up to 99.654% with 60% optical transparency.
• Observed a contact angle of 128.5° and a ventilation rate of 3480 mm/s.
• Demonstrated minimal reduction (1.6%) in removal efficiency after 10 filtration cycles.

Conclusions:

• The developed electrospinning method enables large-scale production of efficient and transparent nanofiber air filters.
• TPU nanofiber filters offer excellent filtration performance and ventilation, suitable for improving indoor air quality in buildings.
• These filters present a viable solution for mitigating the adverse effects of fine particulate matter.